Filling the feed gap during a dry season

Dry conditions since October last year have left much of Gippsland with an above average feed gap to fill.

Since the gap is the difference between feed demand and feed available, there are two options, either decrease demand or increase supply.

Decrease demand cows that aren’t paying their way have probably already been sold. Consider reviewing your herd to identify additional cull options.

There is also an export order for heifers that may be worth a look if you have surplus heifers.

However, it is important to make sure you have the herd numbers you need to make a strong recovery in the next milking season/financial year. Increase feed supply

The best feed investment is almost always in home grown feed. Getting the grazing rotation right is the low cost tactic that gives the best return.

Work on no more than two grazings over winter (1/45th of the milker grazing area each day). Ideally by now, cows should be entering the next paddock to be grazed when the ryegrass plants have at least 2 green leaves.

If below this, the rotation should be slowed down which will likely require extra supplements to avoid grazing below 4-6 cm between the clumps.

Then maintain a rotation to ensure at least 2 green leaves on plants before grazing. The next cheapest feed option is generally boosting pasture growth with urea.

The best responses occur when the weather and soil is warmer, so act now if you haven’t already. Then it’s down to purchased feed.

There is no sense feeding a low quality diet that doesn’t meet nutritional needs, just because it is cheaper. Purchase supplements on the basis of the cheapest feed that will do the job.

For example, legume hay $300/t wet on a grower’s farm seems okay. This might be about $350/t wet landed at 10.5 ME, 22 per cent protein, 85 per cent dry matter and allowing for 15 per cent wastage results in a cost of $484 per tonne dry matter consumed.

By comparison, concentrates at below $400 per tonne (12.5 ME, 90 per cent dry matter and low wastage), currently seems to be one of the cheaper purchased supplements per unit of energy.

If there is a good amount of pasture in the diet to balance the protein, high quality cereal hay may be a cost-effective fibre plus energy feed type this year.

As always, do your sums. Feed wastage management is often not considered a feeding strategy but it can add up.

Minimal visible wastage in a paddock feeding situation is equivalent to about 10 per cent. It can easily be 20 per cent or higher when the paddock is wet.

Also, feeding more than they will eat in about four hours results in higher wastage. This might mean offering paddock supplements twice a day (day feed and night feed) to reduce wastage.

To save time, feed out once a day but use a strip fence to keep cows off the night allocation if they are in the same paddock.

If you can cut wastage by 10 per cent you have just cut your supplement bill by a similar amount (it’s like getting a 10 per cent discount from your feed supplier).

Feed planning When feed is tight, a plan is a must. Estimate the amount of fodder you need to have in reserve to make it to spring.

Do a stocktake of what is on hand. Make a feed purchasing plan (how much of what and when).

Set your feeding out rate and if you end up feeding out faster than planned, an adjustment is required (ie purchase more or decrease the rate of feeding). Heifers Heifer feeding is often intuitive and not always at front of mind.

A feed plan is important for them too as their size at joining and calving impacts on your future income.

A rule of thumb for a good growth rate to be maintained is about two per cent of their live weight of good quality feed (10.5 – 11 ME). So for a 350 kg heifer at joining their intake is about seven kgs of dry matter per day.

Market report for 1st and 2nd June 2016. Wednesday Fat Sale 397 head. Thursday Cow Sale 20 Bulls, 564 Cows.

Well finished good quality vealers made up a larger portion of this week’s fat sale, and with demand still strong in this section prices reflected on the efforts of vendors and agents. As the average vealer price lifted 32 cents, a handful of bullocks were yarded and with a little less quality were regarded as firm. Heifers averaged lighter and although the average slipped, compared to recent sales they also were firm. Steer quality was steady with several penlots of store steers amongst the 62 head yarded. A few missing restockers gave processors more chance, and with less competition and more secondary pens, steers slipped on last week. The yard average was back 3 cents to 261.1 8 bullocks made to 310, up 8 and averaged 277.5, back 13.

41 heifers made to 321.6, up 4 and averaged 222.7, back 6.

62 steers made to 318.6, firm and averaged 267.8, back 16. 282 veal made to 349.2, up 3 and averaged 301.9, up 32. Stronger demand and extra buyers on Thursday resulted in a lift for both bull and cow categories. 20 bulls were penned with good weights and quality. The top was up 13 cents to 287.2, with the bull average up 18 cents to 250.6. 564 cows yarded made to a top of 278.6, this was up 12 cents on last week and the average was 19 cents better at 208.4. This week’s yard average improved 19 cents to 211.2.

1 M/ C&N Guy, Buln Buln 370 346.2 1 Lim P Schroen, Bunyip Nth 455 345.0 1 R/Ang P&R Dowling, Loch Valley 390 342.6 1 LimX N&D Renshaw, Lillico 470 340.0 6 LimX C&M Wareing, Warragul 310 336.0 3 Lim D&G Cummins, N/brook 530 330.0

2 Ang

1 M/G G&G Black, Buln Buln 1 R/Ang R&K Harrison, Y/Nth 1 Ang J&L O’Brien, Noojee 5 R/Ang R&S Matthews, Rokeby

1 Ang 2 Ang

4 Lim Est B Clark, Neerim Jnct 1 Ang G&R Deppeler, Darnum 1 Ang McCrorey P/L, Trafalgar 1 Lim G&S Edwards, Bunyip 1 LimX B Stavaggi, Athlone 1 HfdX I&N King, Glengarry

1 Frn 1 Frn 2 Frn 1 Frn 2 Frn 1 Frn

2 Ang 3 Ang

318.6 1369 315.0 1701 310.0 1534 310.0 1680

435 321.6 1398 395 290.6 1147

578 278.6 1608 430 270.0 1161 585 263.6 1542 635 254.2 1614 515 254.2 1309 685 252.2 1727

C Kelliher, Neerim Sth 640 235.6 1507 K Matheson, Trafalgar 855 230.0 1966 N&L Gregg, Poowong 488 230.6 1124 JHC Farm 23, Jindivick 620 224.6 1392 S Bransgrove, Neerim 655 224.6 1471 N&R Cranston, NN/Goon 640 224.6 1437

B&H Arbuthnot, Tyres 1075 287.2 M Wiemann, Hill End 785 276.2 Hamilton Park, Trafalgar 625 257.6 Stanvale, Neerim Nth 950 253.2 T&A McNamara, P/W Nth 785 247.6

1.SEJ, 2. Elders, 3. Scotts, 4. Gibbon, 5. Landmark.

1 Char 1 Lim 1 Lim 1 Frn 1 Ang

M Kemp, Drouin

S Easey, Allambee R Affleck, Toongabbie

G&R Deppeler, Darnum R Piper

605 310.0

430 540 495 542

660 280.0 721 272.0

1280 1569 1336 1598 1041 1749

1875

1848 1961

3087 2168 1610 2405 1943